The only mac and cheese recipe you need

You can make this. But you don’t have to. You can crawl inside it and stay cozy forever instead.

I’m just going to leave this recipe here for myself so I remember how I made it.

Ingredients

Serves 6

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 1/2 cups 1% milk

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoons coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

about 8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese

about 4 ounces grated alta badia cheese

2 ounces grated Parm cheese

16oz trotolle pasta or elbow macaroni

1/4 c breadcrumbs or crushed potato chips or a combo of both

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a casserole dish; set aside.

Warm the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat.

Melt butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When the butter bubbles, add the flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.

While whisking, slowly pour in the hot milk a little at a time to keep mixture smooth. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick, 8 to 12 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in spices, cheese,Worcestershire; set sauce aside.

Cover a large pot of salted water, and bring to a boil. Cook the pasta until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse with cold water, drain well.

Stir the macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.

Pour the mixture into the prepared dish. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top.

Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes until brown on top. Transfer the dish to a wire rack for 5 minutes; serve.